I absolutely adored this debut! It's a cute lighthearted romance set against the backdrop of saving a historic theater from financial ruin and an annoying saboteur. It has a wonderful cast of diverse characters and absolutely no homophobia (which I always love to see).

Although Rochelle can be a little judgey at times, she has a character growth arc in which she clearly realizes that about herself. I loved the development of her relationship with Amira. I adored the side characters. The mystery of the saboteur was consistently present but not overwhelming. I thought this book was well balanced and a very enjoyable read. I can't wait to see what Jamal comes out with next!

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

3.5

I really enjoyed reading this book overall. The romance was adorable, and the setting was a blast. While some plot points felt a bit slow, it was still an entertaining queer read.

TLDR: I DNF-ed it at 15%. I did not enjoy the writing style and think it is better suited for younger audiences. The plot was fine. The characters were okay, though the dialogue read as caricatures of characterizations and not so much as real people. The world-building was fine. I didn’t enjoy the racial othering in the book. Especially because it wasn’t framed as something the book or character was exploring, but more as the author’s bias being exposed. It just wasn’t for me. Despite this, I am still immensely thankful to NetGalley and the author for allowing me an Advanced Reader Copy.

Writing Style: ☆
This book has a writing style better suited for younger audiences. I would say the quality of the writing is less YA and more late middle school or early high school. The writing is very on the nose. There is little to no nuance. There is no natural progression or discovery about the characters, or character quirks of the main character, or the dynamics between characters. It is told to us in several exposition dumps. It is a lot of tell and not a lot of show. I might’ve enjoyed it if I was in the previous age groups. It reminds me of something I would’ve read on Wattpad when I was in middle school. It's not terrible, I just didn’t enjoy it.

Plot: ☆☆☆
It’s a lesbian friends to rivals/enemies to lovers with forced proximity. The main character Rochelle is trying to build up her college application resume by having a summer job. It's simple but could make for a cute and low-effort read. I was looking for a cozy LGBTQ romance to pick up and was hoping this would be what I was looking for. I made it just far enough to experience the movie theatre and the love interest for a few pages before I DNF-ed it. Not a bad premise, but I just couldn’t get past the previous issues mentioned about the writing amongst… some other things that didn’t sit right with me.

World Building: ☆☆
It is set in the present day, so it's fine. One thing that I didn't like was the group chat texts and how they were incorporated. I often don’t like text messages included in books because they have a way of being very jarring and usually break my immersion. I’ve seen some books include little chat bubbles that the text goes inside instead of a written script-like chat log, that would’ve been better here. Although, there wasn’t really that big of an issue. Everything worldbuilding-wise was just fine.

Characters: ☆
The characters were all alright. I didn’t really feel attached to them, but I also didn’t make it far in the book. A lot of the dialogue felt very unnatural and awkward though. Almost as if they were speaking like caricatures of the characterizations they were supposed to be. Like a caricature of a sarcastic teen or a caricature of a hip mom.


Overall: ☆☆
I DNF-ed it at 15%. I haven’t ever DNF-ed a book before. I just was not a fan. I could’ve trudged through and ignored the writing style that I didn’t like. But I couldn’t trudge through all of the racial othering there was in just the first part of the book alone. It just seems very unnecessary. It’s not framed as a character flaw of the character as much as it seems like the biases of the author put on display. The specific scene that made me want to stop reading was when there was a mention of hip-hop, R&B, rap, and reggae being played in the pizza shop and the fact that those genres would be off-putting to “palm-colored” people. It just rubbed me the wrong way. It was very othering and unnecessary and it reads as very out of touch with reality. Music has no skin color, it is something that unites everyone regardless of culture, skin color, location, age, or orientation. I think the perpetuation of othering as it was portrayed is harmful and just furthers separation. I don’t think it's right for anyone to talk about anyone how they did. Topics of racial othering should absolutely be explored in fiction, but I think there is a better, and more intentional way, to go about it.

This was a great read right from the beginning!

I you want well done LGBTQIA+ rep and good BIPOC rep, pick up this book!

A true YA romance - story is centered around high school teenagers. No spice but plenty of crushes and a few kisses!

Whenever I picked this up, I got annoyed that I had to put it down.

Plenty of friendship, crushes and a dash of mystery. The variety of characters in this story come together to try and figure out the mystery of who is sabotaging a historic black owned cinema. You’ll laugh and have big feelings along the way as you read.

I loved this book so much! I absolutely adored Rochelle and Amira. Their frenemies to lovers
Is my fav!! . Their banter is chefs kiss!!

This book is a delightful exploration of having your first relationship in high school. I normally don’t gravitate towards young adult novels, but I really enjoyed this.

Rochelle (the main character) and Amira (the love interest) both seemed their ages, in a way that I felt was realistic and not patronizing. The author did a great job of conveying the emotions associated with a first relationship. Rochelle and Amira are surrounded by a great friend group. The novel felt evenly balanced between the romance and their efforts to save the cinema. I found both storylines interesting and both were resolved in a satisfying manner.

I also really appreciated the dynamic between Rochelle and her mom. Her mom is caring and supportive but doesn’t always understand Rochelle despite her best efforts. I thought it was a nuanced portrayal of a mother-daughter relationship and I’m glad the end of the book included them growing closer together and better understanding each other.

I also appreciated the diversity in the side characters. One side character is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns, and I read another character as aromantic.

I would recommend this book if you have a young person in your life (or even if you don’t)!

Highlights:
- young adult
- saving a historic Black cinema
- Black sapphic protagonists
- supportive parents
- first crush

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book!

I loved this book so much! I absolutely adored Rochelle and Amira. Their frenemies to lovers storyline was perfect. Their banter and teasing? The way Amira calls Rochelle out? Their first kiss? I adored every second of this book.

I loved the setting and the diverse ensemble cast. The characterization was excellent and I enjoyed meeting all the characters. And while I found the culprit behind the mystery side plot to be way too obvious, it didn’t detract from my enjoyment of this book whatsoever.

Ten out of ten. I highly recommend this one!

If We Were a Movie is a coming of age book about two black teen girls (& high school enemies!) end up working for the summer at the movie theater, which had deep history for the black community. This delightful read has an enemies to lovers trope, but it’s bigger than that. I loved watching these girls discover themselves, and each other, all while saving the theater with their great group of supportive friends!

If We Were A Movie is a Sapphic Young Adult debut filled with friendship, love, and a little mystery. All of the characters in this book were wonderful and hilarious. I loved how well they were all introduced and written. I was worried there would be too many introduced at once, but they were all so individual and unique that I never got confused. I’d read many more books with them all just having adventures and being friends. This is the kind of book I wish I had as a teenager, but I’m so thankful that I have it now.

The rivals to lovers aspect of Rochelle and Amira’s relationship was literally so cute. I loved watching Rochelle realize that she’s actually been crushing on Amira way longer than she wanted to admit. I think that I needed a little more development of their relationship, but it was still cute. I think because there were so many other characters, it was hard to balance the group and the romance, but I still really enjoyed their scenes together.

The mystery aspect of this book was more of a side plot, in my opinion. It was pretty clear who was causing all the problems, so there wasn’t a ton of suspense. I think it was pretty good for the vibe of this book though. If it had been any more serious, it would’ve thrown off the rest of the story. I think it went well with their plot to save the theater. Rochelle growing to love the theater and the people there was my favorite part of this whole book.

I am disappointed there weren’t physical galleys for this book because it deserved to be shared all over the place. This story is so amazing, and I will be shouting about it for a while.

This is such a strong debut novel, and I’m so excited to read more from Zakiya N. Jamal!!

A top notch YA romance. This was incredibly sweet and I loved this whole cast of characters! I loved the chemistry between Rochelle and Amira, even if I wanted a little bit more communication between the two of them. I also really enjoyed Rochelle’s character development throughout.

Did the “mystery” element feel a little obvious and maybe underdeveloped? Sure, a little bit. But the setting and whole cast was so much fun that I can’t say I really cared.

A YA, rivals-to-lovers, forced proximity story that also centers around a historic black movie theatre!

This was such a cute book!! I loved Rochelle and Amira. They totally complimented each other and made such a cute couple. Without giving away Spoilers, I did feel like some of the conflict of this book was glazed over and resolved a bit too easily. That being said, this is great if you're looking for a low tension, fun, queer read!

A refreshing YA rom com that has an extremely original queer coming of age story which elegantly avoids falling into overused stereotypes of the genre

The cover was so cute so I couldn’t wait to read this book. Unfortunately, I didn’t connect with the characters at all. The way the MC gets the job felt really flimsy, the chemistry between the MC and her love interest was lukewarm and for some reason the book as a whole never felt realistic. The story also came across as more of a middle grade story. Still, it was a nice read others should check out.

Wow! It’s been a while since I picked up a YA book, and I’m so glad I stepped back in with If We Were a Movie, the debut novel from Zakiya N. Jamal that will be available 4/22/2025! I absolutely loved this story and the writing style! The careful attention to pronouns was especially thoughtful, given that it’s a YA LGBTQ+ romance.

This book transported me back to that stage in life where you’re balancing academics to secure your future and first time job while still craving the freedom to have fun with friends. I loved Rochelle’s character—and her growth throughout the story. The friendships felt so real, filled with both tension and support, and the age appropriate romance was sweet and heartfelt. Remember your first kiss? 💋

One of my favorite aspects of the book was the Save the Horizon Theatre storyline. It wasn’t just a backdrop—it was the heart of the story, bringing the characters together in a way that felt meaningful and inspiring. The themes of identity, friendship, first love, black excellence, and fighting for what matters most were beautifully woven in!

I highly recommend this YA for our young people and for the inner teen in us! Thank you @netgalley and publisher for providing me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

#BookReview #YALit #YARomance #LGBTQBooks #QueerYA #Bookstagram #BookLover #ReadingTime #MustRead #IfWeWereAMovie #DebutNovel #YAContemporary #FollowYourDreams #BookishLove #ARC

I loved this!! It is a light sapphic read and I needed that. I loved all the characters so much as well as the movie theater setting. They were so cute, I mean everyone and their mothers could tell what was happening between them. It did take Rochelle a while to realize that she did not in fact hate Amira but quite the opposite. I loved all the references in the books because even if Rochelle didn't get them I did. I do need to add that any time Jennie said anything I automatically agreed with her! Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for the arc.

This book was just very cute. It was a super easy light read. The cast was very diverse - the friend group all played to their tropes well. Overall, it was just nice? I'd recommend it for an easy cute read, but it didn't give me a wow I loved this book feeling! Some areas of the book seemed to drag. I liked it enough, but it was good not great.

I love a story with a strong voice, and Zakiya's debut absolutely hit that mark for me! IF WE WERE A MOVIE is filled with friendship, queer love (and even aroace rep!), and wholesome shenanigans. I loved that it was set at a historical Black-owned movie theater and had the characters navigate the ups-and-downs of summer jobs. I loved that the diversity of characters and experiences were a given. I loved that *queerness* was a given — this story isn't about the queer characters (honestly, there were very few characters in this book who aren't) coming out of the closet because they already were and their friends and family supported them. I loved the liveliness of the friendships and the sharp wit of the dialogue; and I loved the important conversations that were had without being unnatural or preachy, like how you find them in some other books.

This is probably one of the strongest YA novels I've read in a while — honestly one of the strongest dialogue/voice-wise for novels I've read recently, in general — so I would highly recommend reading IF WE WERE A MOVIE!

This book is pretty much exactly what I expected. It's a quick YA romance featuring fun characters, a lighthearted mystery and some cute scenes between our MC and her love interest.

Despite the "enemies to lovers" marketing, they never really feel like true enemies. Their animosity is very surface level and is mainly just a few snarky comments here and there (mostly from Rochelle).

Additionally, the "mystery" of the novel is the characters trying to figure out who is sabotaging the theater. But as another reviewer said, however, the mystery is never very in-depth and the perpetrator is figured out fairly quickly, even though they are not caught or confirmed until the end.

The book also features "found family" elements with Rochelle finding new friends at Horizon theater, as well as coming to the revelation that Amira is not as bad as she thought.

Overall, this book seems meant to be a simple cozy read good for a little pick me up when you need it, very low angst! 4/5 stars.

Such a fun and cute read! I loved reading the scenes that involved a lot of the characters the most. The mystery part was a bit much at times, but I really enjoyed it otherwise!

This is a fun and light read. The progression from frenemies to lovers felt natural and was paced well, however, the book overalls pacing was off, there were parts that certainly dragged and felt unnecessary. I appreciate the personality all of the characters had and the diversity displayed. For sure a great YA sapphic romance novel.